Taylor's Port Tasting in City

Taylor's Tasting in City

Chris Forbes of Taylor's was in the Ballymaloe Wineshop at Brown Thomas for an early afternoon tasting. We started off with the White Chip Dry Port. This may be mixed into a long drink, with tonic water for instance, but I like it just the way it is, straight from the fridge. 

Then we moved on to the Crofts Late Botted vintage (LBV).  LBV ports are the product of a single year's harvest and tend to be lighter bodied than a vintage port. This 2005 is very approachable, a ready to drink Port with an attractive fruity, rich taste. Chris advised that this may also be taken chilled.

Ballymaloe's Colm McCan (left) with Helen Lynch (Cloudberry Bakery),
Chris Forbes (Taylor's), Yours Truly and Maurice O'Mahony (Wine Alliance)

The two older wines followed, starting with the 1983 vintage. Taylor’s Vintage Port is one of the world’s great iconic wines. Made only in the very finest years – known as ‘declared’ vintages – Vintage Ports are blended from the best produce of the firm’s own estates of Quinta de Vargellas, Quinta de Terra Feita and more recently, Quinta do Junco.

The other "senior" was the 30 year old Tawny. This is one of the rich and mellow tawny ports which age for longer periods in oak casks. Taylor's do 10,20, 30 and 40 year old tawny. These have a delicious nuttiness and aromas of butterscotch and fine oak wood that intensify the longer they spend in wood.

These were two beauties and regrets were expressed that we weren't going to Ballymaloe this evening where Chris is joining forces with Wilkie's Chocolate for what is sure to be a lovely evening in the Cookery School. Details here.

But we did have the considerable consolation of trying the ports with some delicious macarons from Cloudberry Bakery who also have a shop in the Emporium and then it was off on a surprise visit to Idaho Cafe where VAT campaigner Richard Jacob was able to celebrate his success with a drop of the Port and where we each enjoyed a cup of his super Joe.

Blas Success for Secret Recipe

Blas Success for Secret Recipe

Ballincollig based Secret Recipe, just about a year in business, made a very successful first trip to Dingle for the recent Blas na hEireann awards and came away with an impressive haul of honours in the Prepared Meals section:

Silver: Secret Recipe Panang Chicken Curry

Silver: Secret Recipe Cod Fillet with Lemongrass and Lime Sauce

Gold: Secret Recipe Roast Veg and Chick Pea Curry

Gary Cork tells me that they supply local coffee shops, delis, hotels, etc and are looking to supply a “lot more”. “Our main areas of focus are Soups and Chowders, Readymade Meals, Salads, Sandwiches and outsourcing production for other chefs.”

“We are having a tasting at Global Kitchen (Carrigaline) this Thursday and Friday and they will have all the prize-winning items on their menu for lunch which will be available from 12 noon to 3pm.”

“The awards underline that we produce some of the country’s finest. Based in Ballincollig, we have delivery vans in the city centre on a daily basis. Our range includes everything from fresh scones to contract catering for large events and deliveries are available seven days a week. We are starting to supply a few national retailers. We would love to expand there and indeed also locally as well.”

So well done to Gary and his crew. For more info contact 021 428 9515 or info@secretrecipe.ie

Amuse Bouche

Of all the unchristian beverages that ever passed my lips, Turkish coffee is the worst. The cup is small, it is smeared with grounds; the coffee is black, thick, unsavoury of smell, an execrable in taste. The bottom of the cup has a muddy sediment in it half an inch deep. This goes down your throat, and portions of it lodge by the way, and produce a tickling aggravation that keeps you barking and coughing for an hour. – from The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain.

Market Meal #6. Scallops and Rashers, John Dory and Puy Lentils, Bromleys and Dates

Market Meal #6
Buy local, fresh and fair!
Scallops and Rashers, John Dory and Puy Lentils, Bromleys and Dates

A three course meal, sourced mainly in Cork’s English Market on Saturday morning.

Chateau Soucherie
Anjou Blanc 2009.

Bought the scallops and the John Dory from the cheery crew at Ballycotton Seafood. I was on the lookout for the Ummera Smoked Rashers but the Market’s Good Food Shop was out of stock and they didn’t have them in Brown Thomas Food Emporium either but there was a super sub available in the nearby Supervalu where I got a pack of Truly Irish Beechwood Smoked.

You’ll find lots of Scallops plus Rashers recipes on the internet and most follow the same pattern. Fry the rashers first but take them up before they start to get hard; wrap them around the scallops, securing each "parcel" with a cocktail stick.

From the local market!

Heat some butter and crushed garlic in a pot and brush the exposed parts of the scallops with this. And you’re on your way to a terrific starter. The bacon is a very compatible wrap for the sweet scallop in terms of structure, colour, texture and flavour and certainly a change from the black (sometimes white) pudding option.

The John Dory was fresh as could be and, pan-fried with a knob of butter and olive oil, went very well with the Puy Lentils (from Lenny in Mahon Point Farmers Market) and some sun-dried tomatoes from the Olive Stall in the English Market.

A healthy dessert might seem like a contradiction in terms but there are quite a few of them in Healthy Ways, the new cookbook by Croí, including Winter Spiced Baked Apples by Gregan’s Castle Hotel. They use eating apples (Granny Smiths) but we had some Bromleys from Cahir’s Apple Farm to use up and they worked well (with an extra bit of brown sugar!).

The spice is provided by a combination of dried dates (€1.99 for a packet from Dunne’s Stores), raisins, light muscovado sugar, mixed spice and orange zest and juice. 

You may order the recipe packed Healthy Ways online at www.croi.ie . Highly recommended.

The Chapel Steps Celebrate

The Chapel Steps Celebrate

Bandon’s Chapel Steps marked their first anniversary as a full blown restaurant with a special celebratory menu over the weekend. The most popular dishes of the past 12 months, created by Chef Kevin O’Regan and his team, were featured and a glass of bubbly was presented to all diners.

It was busy last Friday evening when we called but soon we were at our table with that tempting menu in front of us. Recognised quite a few of the dishes and had to think about our choices!

Our Starters:

Salt Cod Fritellas with pickled cucumber, aioli and mixed leaves.

Home smoked duck with beetroot, port and burnt butter vinaigrette.

The Fritellas were new to me and I thought it might be a bit salty. Bot not a bit of it. Just a gentle tang and overall very pleasant indeed. The duck dish was absolutely gorgeous,a great combination of flavours and texture.

Our Mains:

Roast Cod with roast peppers, chorizo, tomato and olive ragu

10 ounce black Angus sirloin with saute mushrooms and onions, handcut chips and steak sauce.

Head Chef Kevin may well be from land-locked Tipperary but he sure knows his fish, how to cook and present them and that was underlined with the Cod dish. Lots of lovely flavours to enhance the fresh fish. The steak was another winner, the mushroom and onions, not to mention the chips, all playing a part in making  it an enjoyable experience. And must mention that that steak sauce was pleasantly piquant!

Our Desserts:

Caramel and marshmallow cheesecake with crackling praline

Sticky Toffee pudding with toffee and vanilla sauce, rum and raisin ice-cream.

Both desserts lived up to expectations. Both soft and delicious and dispatched without the least bit of bother, the only delay in doing being imposed by good manners. A sweet but far from overly so conclusion.

Christmas Menus

If you did miss out on the anniversary weekend (the menu is on again this Saturday evening), you can renew acquaintance with quite a few of the dishes in the Chapel Step’s Christmas Menus. The Lunch  has four courses and, for a very reasonable €22.00, has a great choice and features the Cod Fritellas, Black Angus Steak and Sticky Toffee Pudding.

The Christmas Dinner Menu also promises many good things, including value (€30.00 for four courses) and music on the 5th, 7th and 12th of December. Great choices here too including Smoked Duck and Fritellas in the starters, Pheasant Breast and Pan-fried Skate in the mains, and a delicious Warm Chocolate Cake lurking among a half dozen desserts.

And you can try them all again on Little Women’s Christmas Weekend (4th, 5th and 6th of January) with music by BIlly Crosbie.

Hennessy. From Cork to become the beating heart of Cognac.

Hennessy. From Cork to become the beating heart of Cognac.

Hennessy, the giant of Cognac with 40-45% of market share worldwide, were in Ballymaloe last evening. They were represented by Marc Boissonnet, “in an area very dear to Hennessy”, who guided us through three of their brandies: Fine de Cognac, VS (Very Special) and the XO (Extra Old).

Richard Hennessy, the founder of the company, left nearby Killavullen (they still have the house there) with a vibrant entrepreneurial will and spirit and went on to create Hennessy in 1765. Now, some 1700 growers supply grapes to Hennessy and they also partner with 22 local distilleries. It is sold all over the world with USA the number one and China in second spot.

The Fine, first made in 2002 and fine-tuned since, is now in its “final version”. “This is what we wanted for an new generation of consumers, an introduction, though not easy to make.” Last evening it was matched, perfectly, with apricot and goat cheese. Marc also recommended using it in cocktails, with apple, maybe with apple and cranberry.

The VS must, by law, have a minimum of two years aging. “But we do more than respect the law, might be much older in there,” said Marc of the brandy that is very familiar to Irish consumers. “This is a classic”. He advised using it “as a strong beating heart in a cocktail” and said it is “amazing having an oyster with it!”. Last night we had a prune wrapped in Parma Ham and that was very nice indeed.

Ballymaloe's Colm McCann (left) introduces Marc

Marc (right) and yours truly.

The evening, part of the ongoing Wine Geese series, continued with a tasting of the XO, a classic that shows the benefit of time passing, “an exception..when the character settles”. It is still sold in the original bottle, the first decanter type bottle to be produced industrially.

From the Grand and Petit Champagne areas and using new barrels, it gets richer and more intense and increases in smoothness as the years go by. “It is a classic digestif, not just with chocolate but with many puddings, deep, powerful, rich, well balanced,” said Marc and many heads were nodding in agreement as we sipped it along with Ballymaloe Candied Orange Peel dipped in Dark Chocolate. Marc said it is long lasting on the palate, a little bit heavy (deliberately so) and you may enjoy it on the rocks with sparkling water. 

A very informative and enjoyable evening, thanks to Marc, to the crew at Ballymaloe and to the Wine Geese troika (Colm McCann, Beverly Matthews and Maurice O’Mahony) and to the team from Edward Dillon.

Brown Thomas Launch Food Emporium

Brown Thomas Food Emporium

Birgitta Curtin

Cork’s Brown Thomas  launched their Food Emporium with music, wine and, of course, food in the store last evening. And it turned out to be a very enjoyable occasion.

Cheese producers were there in force. Great to meet, however briefly, Padraig O’Farrell of CarrigalineCheese  but we’ll see him again next week on their open day. Also there were Cooleeney,  Durrus and Gubbeen, the latter with their cheese and impressive Cheese Oatcakes.

Arun Kapil

Got a glass of wine on the way in and was soon comparing it in various glasses under guidance from Martin Turner of Riedel, in town especially for the event. The proper glass sure makes a difference – you can take that from an ex-sceptic! And the experience was repeated later with a lovely Pinot Noir (innocent Bystander) from Ballymaloe Wines , who have been in the Emporium for the past few months.

Ballymaloe  indeed strongly supported the event last evening and there was a sweet finish with their pastry chef JR Ryall  providing us with some gorgeous chocolate truffles to match with the dessert wine.  

But before that we had some great tastings. The Castlemartyr Resort even had a menu of good things to try and there was no shortage of volunteers. Tom Durcan, delighted with his Gold at the Blas as the weekend, had his corned and spiced beef on show.

Met Burren Smokehouse's Birgitta Curtin again, after the Blas Awards in Dingle, and this time got to taste her glorious smoked salmon. There too was Arun from Green Saffron  dishing out a perfect Chicken Korma. By the way, look out for his new Spice Blends and those luxurious Cook-in Sauces, so easy, so good.

Gubbeen

It is a busy time too for Timoleague’s Anthony Creswell of Ummera Smokehouse. He smokes salmon, duck, bacon and chicken, all terrific and regulars on menus on top restaurants, now at the Emporium and also available online. And then we had Una’s Pies, a really top product as her regular awards at Blas Na hEireann underline. Una is also a regular at Mahon Point Farmers Market.

Ummera

And from the kingdom itself came Sam of Cloudberry Bakery who make artisan cakes and desserts - anything from colourful cake pops and cupcakes to show-stopping wedding cakes. Cloudberry was a  Blas winner in 2012. So pop into the Emporium and treat yourself.

Very good but better in Riedel

We were very well treated last night – even got my pic taken with Rachel Allen – and there was a bonus of a goodie bag on exit. Well done to the folks at Brown Thomas and best of luck for the Christmas season.

Sweet finish!

Taste of the Week

Taste of the Week

Apple Brandy on the Double!

What a few days for William and Ashling of Longueville House.

Their Irish Apple Brandy, smooth and mellow, won two Golds.

The first came on Saturday at the Blas na hEirann Awards in Dingle

and the second followed on Tuesday with a win

in the Natural Food Categrory of Georgina Campbell Awards 2014

The apples are harvested from the extensive orchards in Longueville

 in the autumn every year. Once picked, the apples
 are crushed and pressed in an oak cider press machine on the farm.

Amuse Bouche

There were breads of all shapes and sizes and description; good white wheat bread and rich black rye bread. With the bread there was salmon and caviar, expensive to be sure but it was not every day a girl gets married. The salmon and the caviar were a treat, something to be savoured, but everyone else had pitched in with the rest of the meal. There were varenki – dumplings stuffed with cottage cheese – and, to eat with them, bowls of smetana – sour cream – that could be added to the plates of soup being ladled out of huge tureens by the enthusiastic guests. There was borscht of course, and schi – cabbage soup – and some pungent rassolnik – a kind of meat soup – as well as delicious ukha – fish soup. The room was filled with a heady mixture of aromas as the strong smells and flavours of traditional Ukrainian cooking vied with each other.

From Dynamo (Triumph and tragedy in Nazi-occupied Kiev) by Andy Dougan.

China teacups return to Kinsale after 80 years!

China teacups return to Kinsale after 80 years!

What better time to bring an exhibition of china teacups to Kinsale than during the Kinsale Gourmet Festival! Known for her colourful, sumptuous paintings of interiors, artist Róisín O'Farrell is introducing a collection of delightful paintings based on her Grandmother's china teacups that will go on exhibit between two venues this Tuesday to Sunday 20th October in the scenic harbour town of Kinsale.
As part of the ever popular foodie weekend in Kinsale 11 -13th October her paintings will be on show in Fishy Fishy Restaurant and at The Gallery Kinsale on Main street.
Speaking of the exhibition celebrity chef & Fishy Fishy proprietor Martin Shanahan said “When The Gallery Kinsale approached us to joint host the exhibition it was an obvious choice as Róisín's teacup paintings are bursting with light and colour, brimming with character, good fun and a bit of devilment; just the kind of atmosphere we enjoy during the gourmet festival!”
Róisín paints bright, vibrantly colorful paintings in textured, buttery oils with a contemporary finish. Her work is influenced by a sense of home, and feature warm, light filled period interiors, tumbled families of rain boots, and quirky china teacups.
The beautiful antique china belonged to Róisín’s grandmother, herself a native of Nohoval near Kinsale.  Like much of O’Farrell’s work the inanimate becomes characterful and in her hands this delicate 1930’s china becomes both contemporary and fun. Róisin’s Grandmother would have been delighted to see her treasured china return to Kinsale even if she may not have treated them in such a contemporary way. Impactful, beautiful and a little vintage, the teacups are set against the lush impasto palette knife backgrounds that have made O'Farrell a favourite. A ‘must see’ at the The Gallery.

​Exhibition link

Cook Like A Man

Cook Like A Man

The ultimate cookbook for the modern gentleman 

This Movember, the men’s health movement, launches its first official cookbook - ‘Cook Like A Man’ - to encourage Mo Bros and Mo Sistas to eat well, enjoy the time honoured tradition of good feasting with friends and family and transform themselves from bewildered cooks into fearless gourmands. 

The launch of ‘Cook Like A Man’ follows the success of Movember’s three previous limited edition books, self-published by Movember and distributed to the Movember community in an effort to bring them together to forage and feast. The cookbook offers a host of Mo-friendly recipes from serious salads and soups to meat, fish and poultry dishes that pack a punch.  It also features tips and tricks from Irish Mo Bro Chefs, gleaned from their years of knowledge and exploration.

Offering a range of expertise from stocking a Gentleman’s Pantry to Gastronomic Trailblazing, the book hosts Mo Bro chefs from across Ireland as well as a few moustachioed brethren from the UK, Spain and Finland. Chefs from The Fumbally Cafe, Damson Diner, Ukiyo and The Brook Lodge are but a few of the gentleman who have lent their talent and time to help educate and share the secrets to good eating.

Drawing inspiration from around the world, the recipes represent a true mix of individual Mo Bro Chef’s tastes and family traditions with dishes that range from a simple Man Jam and Davis Family Ribs to the adventurous Chanterelle- Filled Reindeer Fillet and Som Tam Green Papaya Salad.  As Mo Bro Chefs, these guys know that the most important part of cooking up a feast is to bring family, friends, food and conversation around a table and so with the release of ‘Cook Like A Man’ they hope to inspire Mo Bros and Mo Sistas to gather a crowd and cook up a storm.

JC, Co-founder of Movember says: ‘The launch of the first-ever cookbook for Movember has been a crazy, fun ride into the hearts, minds and kitchens of our Mo Crew and it’s been absolutely humbling to see the passion and commitment from all the Chefs involved who have donated their time and upper lips to raise awareness and funds for men’s health.”

“Cook Like a Man” will be in store from October 24^th.

For more information on Movember and ‘Cook like a Man’ visit www.movember.com

Dingle Days. Best of Food and Fun

Dingle Days. Best of Food and Fun
Blas na hEireann and Food Festival

Dingle Harbour

Just back after a marvellous few days in Dingle. A wee bit of work and lots of fun as the Blas na hEireann Awards were held there along with an extensive Food Festival. Besides, the sun shone, temperatures were up and the peninsula was at its very lovely best.

We left Cork Thursday morning and met the rain as it cleared from the West and the sun was shining on Dingle as we arrived, tourists sitting out around the Fungi statue and music playing, better than many a July day.

But I had to leave the sunshine to attend to my duties as a judge at the 6th annual Blas na h-Eireann Awards in the Skelligs Hotel. What a huge operation, expanding all the time. Products entered were away up again this year and the number of judges was increased from 48 to 72. 

It is all very well organised and you got to meet many other people involved and interested in Irish food and drink as the samples were delivered to the various tables. It did take a bit longer than expected and many bites and drops later, we reached the end of the session at about 6.00 (instead of the expected 4.00pm!).

Slea Head

Enjoyed a lovely walk in the sun then up to the very well equipped and very friendly Benner’s Hotel, very conveniently situated to many of the Blas and Festival Events. One of those events was a group dinner for the travelling judges and that was on at An Canteen where hosts Brian and Niall played a blinder.

An Canteen would host the craft beer and cider events of the Festival on Saturday and Sunday. No better place, as they only serve Irish craft beers and ciders.

Blasket Heritage Centre

Friday was the most leisurely day of the trip. So we headed off west through a mid morning shower with the sun coming out strongly as we approached the beautiful Slea Head and some of the resident gulls, lining the roadside wall and looking for food! The Head and general area was looking brilliant with the surfers were enjoying the sea.

That evening, we had another highlight when we had dinner at Jim McCarthy’s Chart House in the town. This was absolutely fantastic from start to finish and is the subject of a separate post.

Back then to the bar in Benners and isn't it great to walk into an Irish bar and see Irish drinks displayed prominently in front of you: Gin and Vodka from Dingle, beers from the West Kerry Brewery, Stonewell Cider from Cork and the local Tom Crean lager, my choice for the night.

Cider competitors

Just by chance, we met local artist Liam O'Neill and restaurateur Derry Clarke at the bar. They were “plotting” their contribution to the weekend’s Taste Trail (part of the Festival) and invited us to call down to Liam’s studio on the Saturday. And that Mutton Pie from Derry was a delight, even if we had to join a very long queue to get our hands on a couple. Long lines too at the Chart House (Jim had invited us back) and at Murphy’s Ice-Cream shop and, indeed at other places.

Didn't have too much time to spare between two Blas sessions on the Saturday but did get to tour the many markets stalls and a highlight here was a cup of real unpasteurised milk from Maja at the Little Cheese Shop stall outside her shop, the flavour of a country childhood. Later, got a bap packed with Kerry Lamb from Olivier, busy at his On the Wild Side stall, also in the market.

In the afternoon made a brief visit to An Canteen, packed with punters, in the bar, in a covered barbeque area outside and also on a raised patio, sitting short sleeved in the sun and sipping craft delights such as Stonewell Cider and Howling Gale Ale from 8 Degrees (didn't have time for anymore) and listening to some vinyl.

The morning session of Blas involved meeting the producers in the marquee set up next to the Phoenix Cinema where the awards would be presented in the afternoon session. Had tasted quite a few foods on Thursday and recognized many of them in their “proper” packaging on Saturday.

A Taste of Dingle Bay Crab at The Boatyard

Quite a lot of suspense at the afternoon session, a lengthy one. And I felt sorry for the couple next to me who had to wait until the second last category to find out if they had been successful. They didn't get a medal but, as Artie Clifford, the brains behind Blas, said: “all finalists are winners”.

It was about seven before I got back to the hotel. Soon we were heading off down the town to sample the local fish at the Boatyard. They were, like almost every other restaurant that we passed, quite busy, and I enjoyed one of their specialties: A Taste of Dingle Bay Crab (local crab claws in garlic butter, crab and prawn quiche, crab cake in tomato remoulade and creamy chowder). Yes, all that, plus a small salad and a slice of their own brown bread on the one big plate. Went down well with a pint of Tom Crean’s.

Top Awards:

Supreme Champion sponsored by @Bordbia is the wonderful Olivia from An Olivia Chocolate.

Best Artisan sponsored by The Taste Council  @SkeaghanoreDuck West Cork Duck

Best Export Opportunity sponsored by Enterprise Ireland was awarded to   @HeavenlyTasty (organic baby food by James and Shauna Blair).

Full list here

Chart House is Tops

Chart House is Tops

The Chart House in Dingle was the destination on Friday night. It had been a fabulous day in the beautiful peninsula and the meal here rounded it off superbly. We have eaten in some really excellent restaurants this year, from Donegal to Limerick, from Cork to the Loire, and I’m happy to say that The Chart House is one of the very best.

It is a lovely small restaurant where you get a terrific welcome from Jim McCarthy and his friendly knowledgeable staff. Some walls have exposed stone and some are hung with quality artwork, including at least one large scale piece by local artist Liam O’Neill.

Much of the produce used is sourced locally and you can see that marked on the menu. And if it is not from Dingle or its environs, it won't have travelled too far. There is something refreshingly light about the meals here; you leave the table feeling pleasantly full but not stuffed and you’ll have enjoyed some really flavoursome dishes.

My meal started with the Ham Hock Spring Roll with sun-dried tomato and poppy seed orzo, remoulade mayonnaise. Had been doing a lot of tasting on the previous day for Blas na hEireann but this alluring plateful fully revived the taste buds.

CL was also delighted with her Chart House Salad of maple dressed leaves layered with air dried ham, cantaloupe melon, toasted hazelnuts, spring onion, cherry tomatoes and grated parmesan. A delectable combination of textures and flavours.

I’m a big fan of Spanish white wines and, was delighted to see a blend of Verdejo and Viura on the list. The Rueda Esparanza was crisp and refreshing, with delicate floral aromas, and really fruity. Absolutely delicious!

Back to the eating now and the main course. The Pan-seared Hake was CL’s choice and that was served with a chorizo and chickpea stew, asparagus and rosemary butter. Another engaging combination of textures and flavours.

I went for the Tenderloin of Pork with sautéed summer cabbage, dauphinoise potato, apple purée and thyme juice. The pork was delicious and tender. Jim told me it had come from a new supplier in Kilgarvan and he was delighted with this find. So was I!

I have become a little wary of desserts recently, mainly because you get much the same offerings in most restaurants. But not here. Mine was Poached Pear with warm gingerbread, vanilla ice-cream and butterscotch sauce. CL picked the Warm Rhubarb Crumble with Blackberry Ice-cream and a little jug of sauce Anglaise. They make their own ice-cream and are rightly proud of it.

We certainly enjoyed the desserts and the meal overall and so took note when Jim told us to be sure and call on the following day as he had some good things for the Dingle Food Festival Taste Trail. We sure did and he sure had. And the word had gone around the town as the queue was long but a taste of that Blackberry ice-cream while we waited was a lovely wee bonus.

Well worth a visit and very highly recommended. For post on the Dingle Food Fest and the Blas Awards, please click here.